“Why don’t you go ahead and show us how it works, then? If you’re telling the truth, it won’t matter if you get hurt, since you can just use the cream to take the injury off afterward, right?”
She stood there glaring, the box in her outstretched hand. But the other girl just narrowed her eyes and smirked.
“That’s a rare item, you know. Once you use it up, you won’t be able to get any more. You shouldn’t waste it.”
“Sounds like an excuse to me. What are you, scared?”
“Of course I am. Peeling off an injury’s one thing, but it’s still going to hurt when you actually get injured.”
Put like that, it sounded so simple. Hinata didn’t have a good response. She withdrew her hand, clicking her tongue irritably. The other girl took a step back and snickered again.
“Everything I told you about the cream is true. Now that you’ve bought some, you might as well use it.”
“Listen, you…”
“You’ll understand once you give it a try. You’ve made a wise purchase, Hinata.”
That attitude of hers was so annoying. The girl turned and left, dragging a strange-looking wheeled suitcase behind her that clattered as she walked. Hinata watched her go and put a hand to her chest—to the place where she had an old scar, so old now that it didn’t even hurt anymore.
✦ ✦ ✦
Hinata and Kumori first met at the orphanage where the two of them lived. They’d both suffered violence and abuse at the hands of their respective birth parents. As a result, the girls had been taken away to live in this group home.
They’d been there for several years now, but both of them still bore the marks of their painful past. Kumori had a large burn scar on her face. Hinata had a scar on her chest—a big one that had never healed properly. The main difference between them was that Hinata always hid hers. She never wore tops with low necklines, just in case they made the scar visible. She didn’t want anyone to see it. She didn’t want to look at it herself, either. But since she was stuck with it, hiding it was her only choice.
Or so she’d thought…until now.
✦ ✦ ✦
Injury Peeling Cream: Directions for Use
This cream can be applied to an injury and peeled away to remove the wound from your body.
It is suitable for use on any type of injury, including cuts, scrapes, bruises, burns, and scars.
✦ ✦ ✦
Caution Always use the tweezers provided to peel off
injuries. Once removed, refrain from touching the wound with
your bare hands.
Caution Ensure that injuries are kept in a safe, hygienic environment after removal. Infections may still make their way into the owner’s body if the wound is not cleaned or stored correctly.
✦ ✦ ✦
(“Owner” here refers to the person who most recently had the injury attached to their body.)
Back at home, Hinata opened the box and took out the instructions. She and Kumori read them together in their room. When they were done, they both looked at each other.
“…Looks like that girl wasn’t just making it up,” said Kumori.
“Yeah, that’s really how it’s supposed to work,” said Hinata. “I’m still not convinced it’ll actually do any of that, though.”
“True… But it was being sold outside a drugstore, so it’s got to be something medicine-y, don’t you think?”
“…Are you going to use it, Hinata?”
“It’d be a waste not to, now that I’ve got it. There’s no harm in just trying it out, right?”
Naturally, if there was anything she was going to use the cream for, it was the scar on her chest.
“K-Kumori! Come hold the mirror in front of me!”
“All right… Is this okay?”
Hinata and Kumori shared a room. That meant there was no one else around who might disturb them. Hinata didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing her scar, either.
Urgh…, thought Hinata.
The moment she saw it in the mirror, her breath caught in her throat. This was normally something she went out of her way not to look at. Seeing it like this gave her an awkward, squirmy feeling in her chest. She wasn’t quite sure how to describe the feeling, but she didn’t like it. Her hands were already shaking.
“Hinata, are you okay?”
“…Yeah. I’ll be fine so long as you’re here with me.”
Kumori seemed to relax a little and smiled. In turn, her smile calmed Hinata down enough to steady her hands. She took the tub of cream out of the box, opened the lid, and scooped some out. After taking a deep breath, she turned back to the mirror and began smearing the moist, cold substance over every inch of her scar.
Could this actually work…?
Feeling ever-so-slightly hopeful, she reached for the plastic tweezers that had also been in the box. She brought them to the edge of the scar and pinched. There was a light peeling sensation, like something was coming loose from her skin.
No way…
For a moment, Hinata was so surprised that she forgot to breathe. Then her heart began beating twice as fast.
Applying a little bit of pressure, she started tugging at the tweezers. Slowly, gently, she pulled them away from the spot they’d pinched into. It didn’t make any sound, but it felt a little like when you peeled a sticker off something, except in this case that “something” was her skin. Finally, the last part lifted away, and the whole thing felt lighter than a feather.
She looked at herself in the mirror. The skin on her chest was clear—the scar was gone.
“…!”
Her breath caught in her throat again. Tears filled her eyes. They made her vision blurry, but even then, she continued staring in awe at her reflection.